International Students Initiative Plans to Train 50,000 Young Renewable Energy Workers

A Canadian-based global renewable energy solutions group is joining forces with New Energy Nexus and the Government of Denmark to help deploy 10,000 new youth-led clean energy initiatives by 2030. 

Founded in 2009, Student Energy has “stewarded C$10 million+ in funding to date, supported the development of over 280 youth energy projects, held six international Student Energy Summits, and attracted over 12.5 million people to its digital energy education platforms,” the organization reports in a release.

Now, it is launching its Student Energy Solutions Movement, with plans to “train 50,000 agile and employable youth workers, with a particular focus on reducing the energy skills gap in developing nations, and for women.” It also aims to “deploy $150 million toward upskilling, mentoring, and directly financing early- and mid-stage youth-led clean energy initiatives.”

New Energy Nexus and Denmark are also partnering with Student Energy in an “energy compact”—an agreement the United Nations has called “the most inclusive umbrella dedicated to bring together voluntary commitments on all Sustainable Development Goal 7 targets in support of all SDGs by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.” The compact commits the signatories to “detail key outcomes, milestones, and implementation timelines with clear tracking frameworks toward 2030.”

Asser Rasmussen Berling of the Centre for Global Climate Action in Denmark said the Student Energy Movement is “precisely what we need in order to accelerate the energy transition and achieve SDG7.” Student Energy says it has already formed coalitions with “over 100 diverse partners, such as Indigenous Clean Energy, Sustainable Energy for All, HSBC Global, the Stockholm Environment Institute, DNV, WSP, and national governments like Canada, Denmark, and Sweden.” 

July 2021

The Energy Mix